Benefit-And-Cost Analysis of Medical Interventions: The Case of Cimetidine and Peptic Ulcer Disease. September NTIS order #PB

Transcription

1 Benefit-And-Cost Analysis of Medical Interventions: The Case of Cimetidine and Peptic Ulcer Disease September 1981 NTIS order #PB

2 LIBRARY OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT CASE STUDY #11 THE IMPLICATIONS OF COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY SEPTEMBER 1981 BACKGROUND PAPER #2: CASE STUDIES OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES CASE STUDY #n: BENEFIT-AND-COST ANALYSIS OF MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS: THE CASE OF CIMETIDINE AND PEPTIC ULCER DISEASE Harvey V. Fineberg, M. D., Ph. D. Associate Professor and Laurie A. Pearlman, A. B. Research Analyst Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass. OTA Background Papers are documents that contain information believed to be useful to various parties. The information under-girds formal OTA assessments or is an outcome of internal exploratory planning and evaluation. The material is usually not of immediate policy interest such as is contained in an OTA Report or Technical Memorandum, nor does it present options for Congress to consider. CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES Office of Technology Assessment Washington D C 20510

3 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C

4 Foreword This case study is one of 17 studies comprising Background Paper #2 for OTA s assessment, The implications of Cost-Effectiveness A Analysis of Medical Technology. That assessment analyzes the feasibility, implications, and value of using cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis (CEA/CBA) in health care decisionmaking. The major, policy-oriented report of the assessment was published in August In addition to Background Paper #2, there are four other background papers being published in conjunction with the assessment: 1 ) a document which addresses methodological issues and reviews the CEA/CBA literature, published in September 1980; 2 ) a case study of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of psychotherapy, published in October 1980; 3 ) a case study of four-common diagnostic X-ray procedures, to be published in summer 198 1; and 4 ) a review of international experience in managing medical technology, published in October Another related report was published in September of 1979: A Review of Selected Federal Vaccine and Immunization Policies. The case studies in Background Paper #2: Case Studies of Medical Technologies a r-e being published individually. They were commissioned by OTA both to provide information on the specific technologies and to gain lessons that could be applied to the broader policy aspects of the use of CEA/CBA. Several of the studies were specifically requested by the Senate Committee on Finance. Drafts of each case study were reviewed by OTA staff; by members of the advisory panel to the overall assessment, chaired by Dr. John Hogness; by members of the Health Program Advisory Committee, chaired by Dr. Frederick Robbins; and by numerous other experts i n clinical medicine, health policy, Government, and economics. We are grateful for their assistance. However, responsibility for the case studies remains with the authors. Director Ill

5 Advisory Panel on The Implications of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Medical Technology John R. Hogness, Panel Chairman President, Association of Academic Health Centers Stuart H. Altman Dean Florence Heller SChool Brandeis University Sheldon Leonard Manager Regulatory Affairs General Electric Co. Barbara J. McNeil Department of Radiology Peter Bent Brigham Hospital Robert H. Moser Executive Vice President American College of Physicians Frederick Mosteller Chairman Department of Biostatistics Harvard University Robert M. Sigmond Advisor on Hospital Affairs Blue Cross and Blue Shield Associations Jane Sisk Willems VA Scholar Veterans Administration

6 OTA Staff for Background Paper #2 Joyce C. Lashof, Assistant Director, OTA Health and Life Sciences Division H. David Banta, Health Program Manager Clyde J. Behney, Project Director Kerry Britten Kemp, * Editor Virginia Cwalina, Research Assistant Shirley Ann Gayheart, Secretary Nancy L. Kenney, Secretary Martha Finney, * Assistant Editor Other Contributing Staff Bryan R. Luce Lawrence Miike Michael A. Riddiough Leonard Saxe Chester Strobe]* OTA Publishing Staff John C. Holmes, Publishing Officer John Bergling Kathie S. Boss Debra M. Datcher Joe Henson OTA contract personnel.

7 Preface This case study is one of 17 that comprise Background Paper #2 to the OTA project on the lmplications of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Medical Technology.* The overall project was requested by the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. In all, 19 case studies of technological applications were commissioned as part of that project. Three of the 19 were specifically requested by the Senate Committee on Finance: psychotherapy, which was issued separately as Background Paper #3; diagnostic X- ray, which will be issued as Background Paper #.5; and respiratory therapies, which will be included as part of this series. The other 16 case studies were selected by OTA staff. In order to select those 16 case studies, OTA, in consultation with the advisory panel to the overall project, developed a set of selection criteria. Those criteria were designed to ensure that as a group the case studies would provide: examples of types of technologies by function (preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, and rehabilitative); examples of types of technologies by physical nature (drugs, devices, and procedures); examples of technologies in different stages of development and diffusion (new, emergin g, and established); examples from different areas of medicine (such as general medical practice, pediatrics, radiology, and surgery); examples addressing medical problems that are important because of their high frequency or significant impacts (such as Cost ); examples of technologies with associated high costs either because of high volume (for low-cost technologies) or high individual costs; examples that could provide informative material relating to the broader policy and methodological issues of cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit analysis (CEA/CBA); and examples with sufficient evaluable literature. On the basis of these criteria and recommendations by panel members and other experts, OTA staff selected the other case studies. These 16 plus the respiratory therapy case study requested by the Finance Committee make up the 17 studies in this background paper. All case studies were commissioned by OTA and performed under contract by experts in academia. They are authored studies. OTA subjected each case study to an extensive review process. Initial drafts of cases were reviewed by OTA staff and by members of the advisory panel to the project. Comments were provided to authors, along with OTA s suggestions for revisions. Subsequent drafts were sent by OTA to numerous experts for review and comment. Each case was seen by at least 20, and some by 40 or more, outside reviewers. These reviewers were from relevant Government agencies, professional societies, consumer and public interest groups, medical practice, and academic medicine. Academicians such as economists and decision analysts also reviewed the cases. In all, over 400 separate individuals or organizations reviewed one or more case studies. Although all these reviewers cannot be acknowledged individually, OTA is very grateful for their comments and advice. In addition, the authors of the case studies themselves often sent drafts to reviewers and incorporated their comments.

8 The case studies were selected and designed to fulfill two functions. The first, and primary, purpose was to provide OTA with specific information that could be used in formulating general conclusions regarding the feasibility and implications of applying CEA/CBA in health care. By examining the 19 cases as a group and looking for common problems or strengths in the techniques of CEA/CBA, OTA was able to better analyze the potential contribution that these techniques might make to the management of medical technologies and health care costs and quality. The second function of the cases was to provide useful information on the specific technologies covered. However, this was not the major intent of the cases, and Some of the case studies are formal CEAS or CBAs; most are not. Some are primarily concerned with analysis of costs; others are more concerned with analysis of efficacy or effectiveness. Some, such as the study on end-stage renal disease, examine the role that formal analysis of costs and benefits can play in policy formulation. Others, such as the one on breast cancer surgery, illustrate how influences other than costs can determine the patterns of use of a technology. In other words, each looks at evaluation of the costs and the benefits of medical technologies from a slightly different perspective. The reader is encouraged to read this study in the context of the overall assessment s objectives in order to gain a feeling for the potential role that CEA/CBA can or cannot play in health care and to better understand the difficulties and complexities involved in applying CEA/CBA to specific medical technologies. The 17 case studies comprising Background Paper #2 (short titles) and their authors are: Artificial Heart: Deborah P. Lubeck and John P. Bunker Automated Multichannel Chemistry Analyzers: Milton C. Weinstein and Laurie A. Pearlman Bone Marrow Transplants: Stuart O. Schweitzer and C. C. Scalzi Breast Cancer Surgery: Karen Schachter and Duncan Neuhauser Cardiac Radionuclide Imaging: William B. Stason and Eric Fortess Cervical Cancer Screening: Bryan R. Luce Colon Cancer Screening: David M. Eddy CT Scanning: Judith L. Wagner Elective Hysterectomy: Carol Korenbrot, Ann B. Flood, Michael Higgins, Noralou ROOS, and John P. Bunker End-Stage Renal Disease: Richard A. Rettig Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: Jonathan A. Showstack and Steven A. Schroeder Neonatal Intensive Care: Peter Budetti, Peggy McManus, Nancy Barrand, and Lu Ann Heinen Nurse Practitioners: Lauren LeRoy and Sharon Solkowitz Orthopedic Joint Prosthetic Implants: Judith D. Bentkover and Philip G. Drew Periodontal Disease Interventions: Richard M. Scheffler and Sheldon Rovin Selected Respiratory Therapies: Richard M. Scheffler and Morgan Delaney These studies will be available for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C Call OTA s Publishing Office ( ) for availability and ordering information.

9 Case Study #11 Benefit-and-Cost Analysis of Medical Interventions: The Case of Cimetidine and Peptic Ulcer Disease Harvey V. Fineberg, M. D., Ph.D. Associate Professor and Laurie A. Pearlman, A.B. Research Analyst Harvard School of Public Health Boston, Mass. AUTHORS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A number of people aided us at various stages in the preparation of this report. For their valuable advice, we would like to thank Dr. Morton I, Grossman, Center for Ulcer Research and Education, Veterans Administration Center, Los Angeles; Dr. Thomas P. Al my, Dartmouth Medical School; Dr. Marvin H. Sleisenger, VA Hospital Medical Service, San Francisco; Dr. Benjamin A. Barnes, Center for the Analysis of Health Practices, Harvard School of Public Health; Dr. Janet Elashoff, Center for Ulcer Research and Education, VA Center, LOS Angeles; Dr. Morton Paterson, Smith- Kline Corp.; Dr. Morris Olitsky, Robinson Associates, Inc.; Dr. George von Haunalter, Dr. Virginia Chandler, Stanford Research Institute; Dr. Richard Monson, Harvard School of Public Health; and Dr. Murray C. Wylie, University of Michigan School of Public Health. Dr. Grossman also kindly shared with us a manuscript in press. Several researchers described to us their work in progress. We are especially grateful to Dr. Wylie and to Dr. ]ohn F. Geweke of the University of partment of Economics. We thank Dr. Leighton Read of the Center for Health Practices for introducing us to useful literature on ulcer disease. Wisconsin Dethe Analysis of We also appreciate the cooperation of Mr. Charles Dennison, Mr. Donald Greenwho promptly berg, and Ms. Ethel Black of the National Center for Health Statistics, responded to our numerous requests for information. Dr. Joan Standard of the Food and Drug Administration was also very helpful. By naming people who have advised and assisted us, we do not mean to shift responsibility for any errors or misinterpretations that may appear in this case study.